Verizon Business Internet Review 2023

Bottom line: If your small or medium-sized business needs the fastest and most reliable internet, Verizon Fios is an excellent pick. You can expect high speeds, very little downtime, and superior customer service that’ll keep your business running smoothly online. 

Verizon’s fastest option is its Fios Gigabit Connection plan that boasts top speeds of 940 Mbps download and up to 880 Mbps upload. At those speeds, you and dozens of employees can zip through the web, conduct HD video conferences and VoIP calls, and upload massive files to the Cloud interruption-free.

The fastest Verizon DSL plan tops out at 15 Mbps, which isn’t that impressive—especially for $69 a month. But if you think that’s the plan for you, you can still connect a few employees and operate your business online.

When comparing Verizon to other business internet service providers, Verizon stands out in several ways.

We praised Verizon for its lightning-fast fiber-optic speeds and uptime guarantee. These are factors that business owners should consider if they want to expand the number of users on their networks without sacrificing reliability.

Another pro for the company is its reputation for providing superior customer service to its business customers. Other internet providers—Comcast Business, for example—are known for the opposite.

But Verizon isn’t perfect. Verizon's fiber-optic network stretches across only a few dozen zip codes in the northeastern United States. Compared to Comcast internet, that's a much smaller footprint.

Moreover, you may pay more for Verizon business internet than you would to another provider for the same speeds. Plus, Verizon’s DSL plans are much slower than the competition, which Verizon’s higher prices don’t make up for. Finally, we uncovered some troubling complaints about latency, which we explain a bit later.

Below, we've put each Verizon business plan side-by-side so you can compare them by price and speed. Verizon Fios (fiber) plans are the standouts, but we’ll take a look at each DSL plan too.

Verizon’s bread and butter are its Fios-branded plans. These connections, delivered via fiber-optic cables, offer some of the fastest internet around. The Gig Connection plans are the prime offering.

The shining feature of Verizon Fios for small business is that the plans come with identical maximum upload and download speeds. These connections are often called “symmetric,” and they are great if you need to send or upload large files online. Symmetric connections are even more important for HD video and VoIP calls if you want to avoid interruptions.

For medium-sized businesses—those with more than 20 employees—Verizon offers the same Fios plans at the same price as the small-business market. This provides an excellent solution for growing businesses that aren’t quite ready for the cost and complexity of the Verizon Enterprise Solutions suite of products.

Verizon LTE business internet plans start at a wimpy 10 Mbps and go up to 50 Mbps. Prices starting at $69 per month.

Verizon’s LTE business internet plans aren’t what you’d call “high speed.” You can’t do a whole lot with 10 Mbps. But if your business employs only two or three people and you don’t need much speed—but you do need a reliable connection—then one of these plans is for you.

We bet your business needs more than internet—most likely, you’re going to need a phone system too. You may be able to save money on both by bundling services with Verizon. You can also add TV or other packages.

If your business has a phone number, you’ll still need phone service basics like toll-free numbers, three-way calling, long-distance calling, etc. You can bundle phone service—meaning business voice, not cell phone—with any internet plan. The cost depends on whether you choose Fios digital voice phone (VoIP) or standard voice services (and the cost of either service varies based on your location). One VoIP line adds about $5 per month to your internet plan (a $35 cost on its own), while one standard voice line adds $10.

For TV, you'll pay an extra $10 a month to get Verizon Fios TV, delivered using the same fiber connection as your high-speed internet service. This standard plan gets you only local TV stations, but there are more expansive plans available for higher costs.

Verizon sells an array of extra services and packages to let you tailor your internet plan to your business’s needs. From cloud storage to high-end technical support, see if you need any of these value-added plans.

See all Verizon small-business application packages available in your area.

Verizon puts midsize businesses in a unique position. If you have more than 20 employees—but fewer than 500—you get access to certain Verizon business enterprise products.

From business digital VoIP to dedicated internet, these services help upgrade your networks, increase productivity, and improve communication within your organization.

Visit Verizon to learn more about Fios for medium businesses.

Aside from bundling several services together, Verizon offers a few ways to get discount promotional pricing of your internet services or get special perks. Offers and discounts change constantly, so get the full details at Verizon’s website.

For businesses that have reliability and technical support as their utmost concerns, Verizon is a shining option.

In 2022, J.D. Power rated Verizon best for customer satisfaction for "very small" and "small/midsize" business internet market segments and second for "large enterprise" business.² This distinction is important if you care about the factors customers used to rate Verizon so highly, like reliability, cost, billing, and customer service. But then again, who wouldn’t?

If you want access to the best technical and customer service support Verizon offers, consider purchasing one of its extra services or applications mentioned above.

Verizon’s 99.99% Fios uptime guarantee means you can expect downtimes below only four or five minutes per month. If you experience service worse than that, Verizon will credit your bill.

Let’s break down some of the less obvious costs, rules, and hardware requirements you may run into with Verizon.

On top of your monthly cost for Verizon internet services, you may pay certain fees for the installation, activation, or early cancellation of your service.

• Installation and activation: Verizon waives most installation fees we could find, but you will pay $99.99 to activate a new Fios 100 Mbps internet connection or $24.99 for DSL (or $149.99 without an annual contract for either internet type).
• Early termination: To cancel early with a two-year agreement, you’ll pay 35% of your base monthly charges for the remaining months of your contract.

You can get lower prices for signing a two-year agreement that renews automatically. For no-contract plans, expect to add about $15 to $20 per month to your bill.

You need certain hardware to run your business internet, including the Wi-Fi network. For DSL lines, Verizon will ask you to purchase a $24.99 router. Fiber plans require higher-tech equipment, so you’ll need to buy the $199.99 (or $9.99 per month) Fios Quantum Gateway. You can extend your Wi-Fi range with a network extender, which costs another $99.99 (or $6.99 per month).

Imagine you’re close to landing a new client for your business, and as you try to send a critical file, your internet connection freezes. If this worst-case scenario terrifies you, then your business needs what Verizon offers: superior speeds matched by equally superior uptime guarantees. Here are a few particular Verizon plans we like best:

• For top-of-the-market speeds, Verizon Fios Gig Connection lets you do just about anything online—and scale your internet connection as your business grows too.
• If you’re budget-conscious but still need a fiber connection, go with Verizon Fios 200M. At $69 with matching download and upload speeds, you can balance your needs for speed and cost.

Don’t need a speed-demon-friendly plan? Verizon Business Internet 3 Mbps is good for a one-person, data-light business for under $50 per month.

Want to see alternative internet options? Check out our list of the best high-speed internet providers for small businesses.

But wait, there’s more! Let’s see if we can answer some questions you might have about Verizon business internet.

Not every business needs the lightning-fast internet speeds of a gigabit fiber connection. Many can get by on a few megabits per second. See which of these download speed ranges might be best for your business. (Each bullet adds to the capabilities of the previous one.)

• 1 to 4 Mbps: Allows one to three users to do light web surfing, email, online computing, and standard-definition video streaming and conferencing.
• 5 to 19 Mbps: Connects a few employees and adds the ability to easily transfer files, run ecommerce services, and stream and conference in high definition.
• 20 to 49 Mbps: Several employees can download big files and stream and communicate online with little interruption. You can also set up well-functioning Wi-Fi for employees and customers at this level.

• 50 to 99 Mbps: About a dozen employees can work, conference, and collaborate in real time. File sharing is easier, and downloads and backups are faster. Hi-def streaming and conferencing is clear.
• 100 to 499 Mbps: Suits internet-heavy business operations with many users who access applications and files on the cloud. Supports website services with lots of online traffic and activity.
• 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps: The fastest business internet available. As you approach 1,000 Mbps, all the previous activity and more become near-instantaneous, and you rarely wait for any service to function.

Fiber internet is still fairly new in the market, which means companies that provide it are still building out their connections across the United States. Unfortunately, Verizon Fios is limited to a few markets clustered in the Northeast.

Verizon’s plans all give you the option to have either a dynamic or static IP address. The static IP address costs another $20 per month, so what is it—and should you buy it?

Dynamic IP addresses can change over time if your service provider thinks it's necessary. Many customers and businesses won’t notice the change. But a shifting IP address can spell trouble if you use certain services online. That’s why Verizon gives you the choice to lock in your IP address—for an extra fee on your forward-looking statement that covers the administrative cost.

For example, you might need a static IP address if you work in digital marketing and need to “whitelist” certain IPs, including your own, so your activity on a client website doesn’t mess with the client’s traffic analytics.

Static IPs also help if your employees or others need to remotely access your network, or if you host your own servers for online communication, ecommerce, or virtual private networks (VPNs).

We looked at Verizon's pricing, overall value, small to mid-size business expertise, bundles and packages, and average internet speeds, among other factors.

Disclaimer

At Business.org, our research is meant to offer general product and service recommendations. We don't guarantee that our suggestions will work best for each individual or business, so consider your unique needs when choosing products and services.